Bird Flu Virus Takes New Turn

Thailand yesterday announced the first probable case of human-to-human bird flu transmission but insisted it had occurred in unique circumstances and there was no need for the public to panic.

The much-feared development in the outbreak, which has been ravaging poultry in east Asia for 10 months and has killed at least 28 people, came a day after both the UN's food and agriculture organisation and the World Organisation for Animal Health warned bird flu in Asia had become "a crisis of global importance".

Charal Trinwuthipong of Thailand's disease control department said Pranee Thongchan, 26, had died of the deadly H5N1 virus but had not come into contact with infected chickens. She had, however, had "very close and face-to-face exposure" to her 11-year-old daughter Sakuntala, who is thought to have contracted the illness while playing with chickens at her house. Sakuntala was cremated before the final tests confirming her cause of death were conducted.

Dr Kumara Rai, the head of the World Health Organisation in Thailand, played down the risk of an epidemic spreading through humans. He said the transmission had only occurred after "very close, direct, face-to-face and long contact". He added: "It doesn't pose a significant public health threat, so there is no reason to be panicked."

He stressed there was no evidence the virus had mutated to mix with the human influenza virus to form a strain that would be much more contagious to humans.